Let’s take a look at the other reason for the label change: European health officials have determined — and want to make clear — that the drug “cannot stop a fertilized egg from attaching to the womb.”

This is a big issue, as abortion opponents have long opposed EC on the grounds that it might prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. U.S. labels of levonorgestrel-containing emergency contraceptive pills, such as Plan B, don’t directly refute the possibility.

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References to the possibility of blocking implantation were then removed from the websites of the National Institutes of Health and the Mayo Clinic. And an F.D.A. spokeswoman, Erica Jefferson, said that “the emerging data on Plan B suggest that it does not inhibit implantation.”

On Tuesday, Ms. Jefferson reiterated that view. The drug agency has not moved to change the label, saying manufacturers must request a change. Plan B One-Step’s manufacturer, Teva Pharmaceuticals, declined to comment. It had previously said scientific evidence suggested that the pill did not disrupt implantation.

Although pregnancy is not medically considered to have begun until a fertilized egg has successfully implanted in the lining of the uterus, media coverage around this topic has often obscured this distinction and promoted a false idea that emergency contraception is the same thing as the abortion pill (RU-486) or abortion in general. Medical professionals generally assert that “emergency contraception is not effective after implantation; therefore, it is not an abortifacient.”

Effect on Lawsuits

Hobby Lobby is one for-profit corporation that filed suit to avoid complying with Obamacare coverage for contraception, claiming that forms of contraception that could interfere with the implantation of a fertilized egg are tantamount to abortion. The Supreme Court will hear the case, focusing on whether for-profit companies can be required to provide coverage that may conflict with the private religious beliefs of the business owners.

As Linda Greenhouse wrote in an op-ed about challenges to the contraception mandate under the Affordable Care Act, a coalition of medical groups, led by Physicians for Reproductive Health, filed a brief in the case, noting in part that “the weight of the scientific evidence establishes that the FDA-approved contraceptives and emergency contraceptive are not abortifacients.”

Read Greenhouse’s column for an excellent look at how the religious-based challenges represent a culture war on “modernity.” For more on the lawsuits, SCOTUSblog is a smart resource.

Emergency contraception is tremendously important for women seeking to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex. Activists and public health advocates have worked for years to make EC pills more readily available, and have been successful in getting pills such as Plan B available without a prescription or age restrictions.

Emergency contraception pills containing levonorgestrel (including Plan B) may not be right for every woman and situation, however. Though the pills can be taken up to five days after unprotected intercourse, the pills are most effective (95 percent)

The authors date the legal dispute back to Jan. 21, 2005, when a coalition of organizations in favor of emergency contraception filed a lawsuit accusing the FDA of ignoring the science and safety and applying different

Women of all ages will soon be able to pick up emergency contraceptive pills at pharmacies and other stores without a prescription or proof of age. What many may not realize, however, is that they can get the pricey pills free under the Affordable Care Act. Doing so, however, may take time and forethought.

“Women may be faced with a tradeoff between timeliness and coverage/cost,” says Adam Sonfield, a senior public policy associate at the “>… More

Many readers are already aware of the developments over the pastfewmonths regarding prescription-free access to emergency contraception, including the FDA’s recent approval of Plan B One Step with no age restrictions.

Best news all day: “The Obama administration has decided to stop trying to block over-the-counter availability of the best-known morning-after contraceptive pill for all women and girls.”

The administration is withdrawing its appeal of a ruling that requires emergency contraception pills to be made available without prescription, regardless of age. This is good news for access to the one-pill form of emergency contraception.

A couple of months ago a judge ordered that emergency contraception pills (like Plan B) be made available over the counter (OTC) without age restrictions. The U.S. Justice Department appealed that ruling, and asked for a stay so that OTC access wouldn’t take effect during the appeals process.

Last week, a judge ordered the FDA to make emergency contraception pills available over the counter, with no age restrictions, capping a long and frustrating legal battle to increase access.

Versions of levonorgestrel-based emergency contraceptive pills (such as Plan B and Next Choice) are expected to be made available without restriction within 30 days, but it’s not clear whether there will be some administrative interference. The FDA might decide on new labeling or to limit the forms

Native American women are subjected to much higher levels of sexual violence than other women in the United States; the Department of Justice estimates that more than 1 in 3 Native American women will be raped in their lifetime, and they are often denied access to justice.